Hunter Biden says public scrutiny helped break addiction ‘shame cycle’
Mr Biden said he had been clean from drugs and alcohol for more than seven years after a period of addiction he described as “truly life-threatening”
Hunter Biden has said being forced to confront his addiction in public helped free him from the “shame” which can prevent people from seeking help.
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Speaking to Andrew Marr, Mr Biden said he had been clean from drugs and alcohol for more than seven years after a period of addiction he described as “truly life-threatening”.
He said recovery can be especially difficult when people feel unable to be honest about the consequences of their addiction with themselves, loved ones and their wider community.
“They are kind of trapped in the shame of what their addiction led them to,” he said.
“It’s very hard to get honest about it.”
Mr Biden said years of public scrutiny had meant there was “nowhere to hide”, forcing him to confront the reality of his addiction.
He added: “I had to get honest with myself about it. And because there was nowhere to hide, I had to get honest with everyone around me.
“And I think in many ways it saved my life.”
He has previously written about long-running problems with addiction and repeated periods of sobriety and relapse in his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things.
Mr Biden has linked his addiction to unresolved grief following the 1972 car crash which killed his mother and sister, Naomi, and the later death of his brother Beau Biden from cancer in 2015.
The former president’s son said he would not recommend such an experience to others, but now viewed it with gratitude.
Mr Biden said a key reason for speaking publicly was to reach people facing addiction, which he described as a crisis affecting millions worldwide.